Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a car from this company back in 2022 and paid 1500 down had no trouble for long time then started having issues with my Kia soul going into safe mode have called Kia and the dealer ship that keeps fixing my car 4 times now they keep fixing the same part (knock sensor) recall says change engine but Kia keeps denying this cause it's not failing some test to fall under that recall ok whatever. But auto exchange keeps telling me it's not there problem since Kia doesn't want to change engine but again I have been without a car each time this goes into limp mode and auto exchange doesn't want to help me with another car or any help yet I am paying almost 300 every 2 weeks on a car that may break down any time also missing work cause we only have 1 car and ******** *** has no loaners . I think with auto exchange they should stand by there cars and help there customers in every way possible especially someone that pays and keeps paying on a lemon

  Business response

  12/10/2024

  To Whom it may concern.
  This is ******* *********** We are sorry to hear what ** ***** is going through and team members from our service and collections department have worked diligently to assist him. We have called multiple Kia dealerships to do what we could to help with the recall repair work. Our company stands behind all the vehicles we sell and takes a great deal of pride in the customer service we offer. However, when it comes to manufacturer recalls and/or warranty work we do not have any control over what is or is not done. We will always try to help but we can't make Kia or any manufacturer change their policies. Our team will continue to assist ** ***** as best we can and contact him to see if there something else we can do.

• Initial Complaint

  10/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In April of 2024, I am buying a vehicle from them. All they gave me when I put the down payment of 1200.00down was a carfax. No receipt of my down payment and now they are trying to say I only gave them 500.00. Also I was in between jobs and they refused to help me with pay dates. They said they couldn't change the due date. All financing is through them. Also when I started making payments, it was once a month and now it's every 2 weeks. They refuse to work with me.

  Business response

  10/17/2024

  To Whom it may concern.
  We will be calling this customer today. My system shows she was provided copies of every contract signed as well as emailed electronic copies. We are happy to resend them to her if she would like. Our records also show ** ****** down payment was paid in full before taking delivery of the vehicle and no one from our staff has contacted her about collecting any down payment. 
  Regarding the due date for her payments they have not changed since signing the initial contracts which were set on a bi weekly payment schedule. Unfortunately we cannot change due dates for our customers once the deal has been finalized. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to try to find a car ***** *** car dealership for some reason I wasn’t able to get a car through ***** *** so the salesman I was working with referred me to auto exchange someone called me from there sent me a link to my phone. Tell me to pick a car out. I paid the car out that I like they have pictures showing that it look clean. It looks good then The guy told me Send $500 fill out the paperwork send him all my personal information such as Social Security number bank information Work place of Residence made me get insurance on the car so once I got the insurance on the car the next day I called and asked him about the car then he went to come out and say oh the car need to go get detailed because it’s been just sitting and it needs to go get inspected. I told him, you selling a car and you don’t have the car cleaned and Never had an inspection on it so now once I get the insurance you tell me you have to take the car to get detailed and take it for an inspection but the first conversation that we had you said the car already had been through 150 point inspection and pass everything so He called me 5 o’clock in the evening saying that the car is ready and send him the other half of the money then he said that the car only have a three day temp so I told him that I don’t want the car. I just want to refund. then he tell me that it’s OK. I was having trouble at the DMV and I will have the 60 day temp tag for you in the morning and I asked him how would I get the temp tag in the morning he said I will email it to you. I told him I never heard such thing like that before, I bought cars before and I never been through anything like this before I tell him I just need a refund so he gets mad and start cursing at me saying he wasted his whole fucking day Trying to get this car ready for me, which should have already been ready If you run a Car dealership business, so I’m filing a complaint because these people are running a illegal business

  Business response

  08/29/2024

  To Whom it may concern,
  ** ******** claim that we are "running an illegal business" is just factually false and his complaint is absurd to the point it is almost not worth responding to too. Our company has been in business for over 40 years and always in good standing with our customers and legally. 
  ** ****** became upset (and started using abusive threatening language with our staff which is evident if you read his BBB complaint) because we told him we were going to have the car detailed before sending it to him and a final pre-sale inspection. Our vehicles are inspected and detailed shortly after we purchase them; however, it is standard procedure for almost every dealership to have a car re-cleaned and inspected once it is sold to a customer. Cars sit on lots, get test driven etc before purchase so we detail and re-inspect them as a benefit for our customers. We are truly confused why this upset him. Next, on the day we were delivering the vehicle the Kansas Department of Revenue website was having an error that would only print 3 day temp tags, not 30 day temp tags. We explained this to the customer that this was out of our control but the Dept of Revenue told us the issue would be fixed in less than 24 hours, which it was, and we could print the 30 day temp tag.  Our company tried to explain this to ** ****** several times only to be screamed at, cursed at, and threatened. We ultimately decided it was best for both parties not to do business so we refunded his down payment (and sent him the refund receipt so he had confirmation) and cancelled the transaction. This issue has been resolved. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i purchased my vehicle in September from Navicar (AutoExchange) not even a year ago.. in the first week i had to get a transmission put in, still had same issues so i took it back to the shop they then said my catylac converter needed replaced, i then had paid out of pocket for that to be fixed, same issue occured after the fact and burning oil but no leaks, replaced spark plugs and went to shop for an oil consumption diagnosis was to return in 1000 miles to see the consumption amount i didnt even make it 427 miles into the testing and my engine started knocking and wouldnt go over 30 mph so i took it straight to the shop and its been there since shop indicates engine is blown. The dealership also didnt have my title for the car due to multiple errors on it, I went through my 90 day tag and had to use their dealer tag until they got my title in and it was correct... this company sold me a lemon and will not take responsibility for it!!!

  Business response

  07/25/2024

  Hello, We are happy to assist Ms ******* in any way reasonably possible. She purchased her vehicle from us in Sept 2023 and within a few weeks had a transmission issue. After diagnosis our company paid a 3rd party service center to have the transmission replaced at no cost to Ms *******.  Although not obligated to pay for these repairs our goal was to provide the best customer service we could.
  10 months after the original purchase date, Ms ******* informed us she was having an issue with her car that she believed was the transmission. We informed her that the transmission was still under warranty and to take it back to the service center that did the repair. After diagnosing it, the service center found the the issue with the vehicle was not related to the transmission but was a problem with the catalytic converter and oil consumption.
  We hate that Ms ******* is having mechanical issues but any vehicle, even new vehicles, do sometimes have repair costs. After 10 months of ownership our company cannot be responsible for repairs of this vehicle. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We paid off our vehicle March of 2023 and a title was mailed to us however the device that they installed in our vehicle was never removed and due to that device out vehicle is not in working condition. I have spoke with ****** who stated they would pay to have it removed but there is no place in my area that would remove it. I have spoke with ****** countless times to no avail said she will call back or have her maintenance man call and he never does and when I called her back saying he did not call I got "oh yeah, I keep him busy" really? We would like this device uninstalled so that we can get our vehicle in working order. There are no further codes they can give as we are paid in full. I contacted sales to get someone to call back and of course nobody called and I was told ****** would be notified. . all we want is to have this device uninstalled as we have moved out of state and the due to the problems the device is causing the vehicle is unusable. I do not wish to speak to ****** I want a solution. They knew we were a military family so we obviously would be moving again and the fact that nobody has reached out to settle this issue after we have paid is mind-blowing

  Business response

  03/20/2024

  Hello,
  This is the Managing Partner of Auto Exchange/Navicar in Lawrence. 
  I just spoke with this customer and we are working on coordinating times to instruct them on how we can get their gps device removed. We offer free removal of these devices at our service center in KS, but since the customer has moved out of state we have to come up with a different solution. We are going to continue working with the customer until this is resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  10/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They sold me a truck that cannot Pass the inspection. They lied to me when picking up the truck saying that it was a solid truck, and that it passed the Kansas inspection yet when I go to a mechanic that they sent me to get an inspections ticker in Missouri they told me that the ball joints have been out. The shop said that the joints have been bad for a long while so therefore there’s no way it would’ve passed the Kansas inspection. They refuse to make it right and fix it. I even offered to put the cost into my car note. I am fixing to take them to court for this. I am a disabled veteran and I feel cheated and lied to just so they could make a sale!

  Business response

  10/09/2023

  This morning management spoke with this customer and we are working with them towards a resolution. Our plan is to find a 3rd party service center we have a relationship with to diagnosis the vehicle and hopefully reduce the cost of any repairs if they are needed by a significant amount. 
  When ** ***** first contacted us about getting a vehicle our staff looked at several options. ** ***** eventually selected a 2003 Chevy Silverado with 175k miles. We explained to the customer that we had a safety inspection and powertrain inspection performed on this truck and at a 3rd party repair facility.  With older higher mileage vehicles we try to ensure they are running and driving properly from a safety perspective and inspect for major powertrain component issues which were "solid" at the time of our inspection.  However, with older high mileage vehicles the likelihood of repair cost is higher and we discussed this with the customer before he moved forward with the lease on the 03 Silverado. 
  Nonetheless, we are going to continue to work with this customer and do all we can to come to a satisfactory solution for everyone. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased this car from this company and was never told how to get my license plates until months later with the woman calling me a liar about never being told this information. They turned the engine light off when I first purchased for it to come on again 2 weeks after I bought with the manager letting me know this wasn’t a warranty issue but a maintenance issue. After only 2 weeks and him telling me in the process of buying the car all cars are ready to go and inspected but that wasn’t the case. There’s no way to pay other then auto pay and calling in with an extra **% charge which is ridiculous with today’s technology

  Customer response

  05/22/2023

  I also forgot to mention their maintenance department never answers the phone and voicemail box is full so I can never get through to speak to someone to see what’s wrong with my car. 

  Business response

  05/22/2023

  This is the owner of Auto Exchange. We will be reaching out to this customer directly. We no longer have a service department but would be happy to help them find a repair facility near them to get the vehicle diagnosed. We will do all we can to assist in any way. 

  Business response

  05/22/2023

  To Whom it may concern
  Hello, this is the owner of Auto Exchange/AE Rentals. I would like to personally assist in helping this customer. I have tried calling them twice today but their phone will not let me leave a VM. I am not sure where the confusion is regarding her license plate but we offer a service to our customers where we facilitate the initial tagging and registration of their vehicles. Regarding the engine light that has come on I would be happy to help them find a repair facility close to where they live so the vehicle can be diagnosed. 
  As for the payment processing we offer a number of options for customers to make their car payments. If they are set up on ACH or Recur billing there is no processing charge. For call in payment there can be a service charge as it costs our company more time and money to process payments that way but I can assure you it is nowhere near **%. 

• Initial Complaint

  05/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a car from this dealership,Auto exchange ** ******** ******, they installed a GPS wich took them two days to install because it was throwing codes on the vehicle. When they brought it to me I drove it to test it during the day. It wasn't until I drove at night for the first time that I noticed my headlights weren't working and neither were many other electrical devices such as windshield washers and rear camera. I called the dealership and they told me to take it in to another company who I've never dealt with. The other company involved is ***** ****** ** ****** ****. They also gave me a rental that the dealership said they would cover. It was only days later that the car was diagnosed with many issues including not even having headlights in the lamps. I did not realized I only had fog lights. This new company then continues to try to fix this vehicle which takes weeks. Out of nowhere while I was at a property for maintenance my rental vehicle with all of my belongings including my phones was taken by the dealership with out even telling me what was up, they left me stranded for hours at a tenants house with no way to call anyone in downtown ****** ****, with all of my work supplies in the vehicle. When I got ahold of the place that took the rental back they told me that they couldn't fix it and were now holding my car for payment on the rental. Auto Exchange now says they won't pay ***** ****** for their rental because they couldn't fix my vehicle. I have payed over **** dollars towards a vehicle that I can't even drive and now is being held hostage. On top of all this after almost losing my job and being out all this money, they just decided today to tell me that now they are done with me so goodbye. They had the vehicle in the shop for a month and were hounding me for the payment which I always make. But my reasoning was that why would I keep paying you for this mess that the dealership caused. They have all the paper work the evidence is all there.

  Business response

  05/16/2023

  To Whom it may concern
  Re: Rachel ******
  This is the owner of Auto Exchange * ** *******. Ms ****** began leasing a vehicle from us in December 2022. She reached back out to us in January of 2023 stating there was an issue with her head lights and she would like to take it to a ***** Dealership to get fixed. We wanted to take care of our customer so our reps told her  to let us know once the ***** dealership had it diagnosed we would make sure the cost was covered. Ms ****** then told us the ***** dealership would not be able to get her diagnosed the same day so she would reschedule. We did not hear back from the customer regarding the issue with her headlights until early April 2023. In this 3 time period Ms ****** had been in touch with our payment and collections department several times trying to make payment arrangements and to provide proof of current insurance and not once mentioned that she was still having an issue with her headlights. 
  Once we were made aware that she was still having an issue with the headlights we helped Ms ****** locate a ** Dealership and schedule a time to have the vehicle fixed, again this would be at no cost to her for the repair. We also informed her that although our company would pay for the cost of repair we would not cover any cost of a rental vehicle. Furthermore, we made it clear that Ms ****** needed to stay current on her car payments and lease terms even if her vehicle was in the shop being worked on. Our company will always go above and beyond to provide the highest quality customer service but we do expect our customers to stay in good standing with their payments. 
  Ms ****** took her vehicle to the ** dealership and the repairs were done. Our company paid $**** out of pocket to cover the cost. While the car was being worked on Ms ****** elected to rent a car from the ** dealership and agreed with them that she would pay for it. While she was in the rental both our company and the ** dealership learned that Ms ****** did not have valid vehicle insurance. From my understanding the ** dealership attempted to contact her several times and was unable to. The dealership reached out to us to contact the customer and we tried several times and could not reach her.  With no response from Ms ****** and no proof of valid insurance the ** dealership was forced to retrieve their rental car from her. Upon retrieving the rental car the ** dealership learned it had been involved in an accident and was damaged. 
  Furthermore, Ms ****** was unable to keep up with her lease obligations with our company so we were forced to retrieve our vehicle as well.
  I hate that Ms ****** had an issue with the headlights on her car and from the moment our company was made aware of it we offered to help her find a shop to get it fixed and pay for the repair cost. This is all documented via text and phone calls in our CRM system. We do all we can to assist our customers as much as possible but both my company and the ** dealership working on the car had a very difficult time getting Ms ****** to return our numerous messages. With no contact from the customer, default on lease terms and rental agreement terms, both my company and the ** dealerships had no choice but to retrieve our vehicles. 

  Customer response

  05/17/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Rachel ******

  Customer response

  05/17/2023

  They are giving false information, and I had insurance until the day they picked up the vehicle. I was only told to take it to an authorized dealer. Here is the main issue is that they were in the process of fixing the car, but couldn't ever get it repaired. It is still not repaired.There was no communications that do not prove my case so any communications they have will only prove my case. 

  Business response

  05/17/2023

  Our company has gone above and beyond to try and assist this customer. Including paying $**** in repairs because we pride ourselves on long term customer service. I can't speak to specifics , but I can say generally speaking the only thing we ask is for our customers to maintain their obligations that are clearly stated in their lease agreement. If a customer fails to do so they can be at risk of losing their car. 

  None of the information we have provided is false. We tried to contact the customer several times to resolve this and often could not reach her. In the last 45 days we placed 18 outbound calls to this customer and could only reach her twice. When we could reach the customer we explained the repairs had been paid for but that she had to maintain her obligations per her lease. 

  Regarding the rental car that is between the customer and the ** dealership. We made it very clear we would cover the cost of repairs but would not cover or be involved with any rental cars. 

  Customer response

  05/28/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it is completely untrue, if they have gone above and beyond , then how come the car was never fixed even after **** in machanics fees? It is just crazy that they expect me to pay for a car that they damaged and still never fixed. I am concerned that the fact that they couldn't repair it, they chose to use my complaint against me in order to allow them to exit a contract. At the least even if I was 45 days late on a supposed payment they would charge me a fee and alowe to pay for my vehicle. I tried calling them several times before they took my vehicle. Should I just hand over my hard earned money because someone tells me a vehicle that they are fixing belongs to me. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Rachel ******

  Business response

  05/30/2023

  Good Afternoon,
  We will reach back out to the customer again today. Our goal is to find some type of resolution but the customer broke their contractual obligations in the lease agreement. This, and the possible consequences, were discussed with her several times. As a business, we feel like we did what was right to best serve our customer and paid for repairs to a vehicle several months after it was originally leased. What we asked in return is that the customer stayed compliant with the lease contract which did not happen. 

  Customer response

  06/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Today that business tried to contact me under the guise of working something out. But I strongly disagree with them when they stated that I broke the contractual agreement. What about their contractual agreement to give me a working car. This car would not even pass inspection. That is a violation of the lemon law.when they took my car why would I have to continue paying them when they never gave the car back and could give me no definitive answer. What sane person would continue to pay for a car that the business messed up, then couldn't fix yet still charged me. Shouldn't I have possession of the car in order to owe for it? I could not drive for months because of their mistake it's plane and simple. What do I owe them? And for what? I had not vehicle. Are they ******* come to take what have?
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Rachel ******

  Business response

  06/02/2023

  We have reached out to this customer and are doing our best to explain and resolve this. Addressing each issue in the customers last message one by one.
  1) Customer disagrees that she broke the contractual lease agreement. However there is no room for disagreement here. The contract states the customer's payment, insurance and vehicle responsibilities as well as the consequence if these contractual obligations are not upheld. These were not upheld by the customer. This is an objective fact. We were very clear about these expectations and contractual obligations with the customer from the very beginning of the lease. 
  2) Customer questions the contractual agreement for receiving a working car and questions lemon laws. This customer was provided a working car. We hate that there was a mechanical failure , headlights stopped working at one point and transmission issues however we made sure these were repaired, at no cost of repair to the customer. Cars are machines and unfortunately they do require repairs sometimes but we did all we could to accommodate the customer to get these repairs taken care of. I do not believe any of this would fall under any provision of lemon laws. 
  3) Customers question whether she should have possession of the car "in order to owe for it". Just because a vehicle is being repaired and is in a repair facility does not mean that a customer does not have to pay for it or keep up with their contractual obligations. 

  Customer response

  06/03/2023

  What they are saying is totally white washed in order to cover their tracks. The fact is that car still is not repaired and at no time did they ever return a working car to me, they actually never returned the car to me at all. It was still non working sitting in their shop when my rental vehicle was taken back. They could not tell me when the car would be repaired. If you make them give you the paper work for the repairs and also the payments I held it will show that they are a month different, they broke contract by providing me a non working vehicle which I was never able to drive. They stated that themselves. At one point the headlights stopped working? At one point the transmission stopped working? That is ok for them to sell me a car like that and expect me to pay payment to them when they never gave me the car back. I even had insurance on it until last week. I don't know why they are trying to spin this to make it look like they did nothing wrong, they literally are saying it to my face and expect it to be alright. 

  Business response

  06/05/2023

  We truly hate that this customer is frustrated and wish there was more that could be done. However, nothing we have stated in our BBB response or to the customer has been "white washed". We have simply stated the facts of what transpired. This customer is correct, we did not return the car to her because she had violated/defaulted on the terms of her lease contract. We had already spent our company's money, not charging the customer, to have the vehicle repaired but we were very clear with her that she needed to honor the terms of her vehicle lease while her car was being repaired. 

  Customer response

  06/10/2023

  There is one thing the car dealership is not being truthful about. They could not give me back my car because the car was not fixed, even at the time they decided not to give it back. In order to cover up the fact they sold me a lemon they are using the fact that after so long without a car I refused to give them anymore money.

  Business response

  06/12/2023

  This vehicle was in the process of being repaired, AT NO COST FOR THE REPAIRS TO THE CUSTOMER, when the terms of the lease were broken. The timing of the completion of repairs does not change anything about the timing of when the lease terms were violated.

  Customer response

  06/12/2023

  That statement alone is your admittance to negligence to a customer. The reason the repairs were suppose to take place at no charge to me was because they were liable for the repairs not I. The contract that they are claiming I broke was actually null in void when they lied about the condition of the vehicle. It had no headlights, replacement of a fuse box, and other electronics that are necessary for vehicle operation and safety were faulty, making it a breach of contract to sell me an unregisterable vehicle. So I do agree that their contract was broken, and they are the ones who broke it by selling an unsafe vehicle. What ever actions I took to protect myself from the fraudulent sales practices of Auto Exchange does not mean they can use that as a counterclaim after the fact. A contract breached by selling a fraudulent vehicle does not hold the remaining parties liable for their part in said contract. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩